Chapter 30
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This chapter is edited by Rain. Thank you for your contribution!
Chapter 30: The Person About to Die, the Winds Rise and Clouds Surge
Chu Yuanqing had a profound understanding of human nature.
Because of the disaster beast that caused the world-ending catastrophe before, it is now facing the consequences of successful consolidation.
So after Kirimi Miyuki shared some information, she immediately noticed the distortion in the mechanism.
The program group wants each dormitory to form a hierarchy, aiming to make everyone realize quickly and clearly that in this prison-like underground base, ranking means everything.
Whether it’s the range of activities, the level of practice rooms, the dance reserves in the AI library, the time to use the massage pod, the possession of a professional nutritionist, or even the range of food choices, all sharply divide their classes and levels.
The time doesn’t need to be long, maybe up to three days or even just one day will suffice.
This period is enough for most people to understand the meaning behind it and start feeling intense anxiety.
Grade A players stand at the top of all beings, already the top group with the best resources at their disposal, unlikely to drop in rankings during the second evaluation.
Grade B players are in the higher levels, possessing core resources, but without the luxury to share, and the difference with Grade A players isn’t significant. They are almost on the same starting line and may still have hope to move up.
Grade C players are neither high nor low, stabilizing their class, with a low probability of being eliminated in the first round, but mostly unlikely to advance, and will likely fall into anxiety.
Grade D and Grade F are in a dangerous situation, standing on the edge of a cliff, at risk of falling and losing their chance to become idols forever, never to perform on stage again.
If it were revealed that Grade A contestants can share their privileges unconditionally, it’s hard to imagine what kind of storm that would create and what kind of reactions it would provoke.
The program group probably wants to see this kind of scenario.
Chu Yuanqing feels a bit overwhelmed.
This is a ruthless competition where once eliminated, contestants lose their idol status.
Concepts like unity and helping each other seem absurd and foolish here, only leading to trouble for their future selves.
If the exact number of contestants in the winning group is set, maybe some Grade A contestants will have the opportunity to share their privileges with less competitive opponents.
However, the specific number of debut spots in “Dazzling Stage” has yet to be announced.
It’s like Schrödinger’s cat—the answer can only be found in the final stage.
The most intriguing aspect is that it is a global planning program, very unpredictable.
In theory, “Dazzling Stage” can select only two contestants from the Daxia area, merge them with the winners from the rest of the Donghong Federation, and form a girl group.
So, there might really be only one debut spot.
Of course, you could bet on more, perhaps four, eight, or even thirteen debut spots.
But as long as the answer isn’t revealed, even the second spot is risky, besides the first.
This forces everyone in the upper circle to take action.
Chu Yuanqing initially thought it was cruel enough but didn’t expect it to be even more inhumane, creating such torment for the contestants.
At this moment,
Liang Xiaoxiao felt a connection, angrily commenting:
“So, this elimination mechanism is really unreasonable.”
“How did you manage to be so brave and join the competition without hesitation?”
Chu Yuanqing felt a bit guilty and stared at the salad in her bowl, casually changing the subject:
“You still ended up joining the competition despite all that talk, didn’t you?”
Liang Xiaoxiao gazed enviously at that naturally beautiful face, sighing with a hint of sorrow:
“I have no choice. I don’t have looks like yours where everything works out. Staying in that small company has no future, so I can only take a chance.”
“‘Dazzling Stage’ is the only talent show in the industry that doesn’t accept handpicked contestants, only auditions.”
“Being able to pass the audition is a rare opportunity, and it’d be a shame not to seize it. Honestly, the rules are unconventional but intriguing. After the live broadcast, the hype is expected to be even higher than anticipated.”
Liang Xiaoxiao finished the last bite of her salad, her eyes lowered, her expression unreadable. She stayed silent for a moment, pursed her lips, then looked up with a bright smile:
“Hmm, even if I get eliminated and can’t meet my idol, I can still gain popularity by following fans. If I gain a lot, I can become an actor. If I gain just a little, I can become an online celebrity.”
“Haha, those Grade D to Grade F contestants probably think like me. It’s not too bad, right? Nothing to worry about.”
After hearing these harsh words of reality, Chu Yuanqing noticed the sadness and disappointment hidden in her eyes. Without saying more, she simply passed half of the strawberries to someone else.
Reality is always like this, as some rise to the clouds while others fall into the mud.
What does being an idol mean to these kids?
After they finished eating, they went their separate ways.
Chu Yuanqing felt heavy-hearted and became even more determined to succeed in the first round of eliminations.
She had no interest in idols, no faith in the stage, and no dream of debuting.
Being like this, competing with other dreamers for a limited number of spots felt unfair.
What’s more…
A person who is about to die has no right to become an idol.
…
Time passes.
“Dazzling Stage” has become a globally renowned hot topic, especially in Daxia, where it is causing a stir.
Weibo hot searches go without saying, contestants with memorable moments are being pulled out and edited onto the stage for the first evaluation, spreading across major short video websites, and reaping large amounts of attention.
Many contestants, overnight, have gained fan support groups of thousands, Weibo super topics have sprung up like bamboo shoots after the rain, and discussion levels have skyrocketed, making it the hottest topic.
Chu Yuanqing, who once had almost no trace on Weibo, now has tens of thousands of fans.
The huge number of followers is unbelievable, especially for a talent show that hasn’t even aired the first episode.
Because of the massive attention, even faint traces of her edited causal line were uncovered.
This includes photos like being an orphan, school ID pictures, being seen by strangers working as a cashier at a supermarket, as a barista at a coffee shop, expressionless as a maid in a maid cafe… and other similar pictures.
What’s most subtle is that Chu Yuanqing’s classmates have a very vague memory of her, recalling her as a shadow with no presence, often absent due to work, unable to remember what she looks like, making people jokingly compare her to a real-life version of a manga character.
All these were real histories revised according to Chu Yuanqing’s logical actions, making people marvel at the terrifying power of magic.
Well, even if Chu Yuanqing herself might not know, fragments of history are indeed scattered all around, waiting for people to discover.
Meanwhile, in the newly established fan support group for Chu Yuanqing, thousands of people are combining this information and wildly imagining things.
